1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a therapeutic hosiery device. More specifically, it relates to a pair of footed leggings having padded regions along the ball and/or heel of the foot. The device is worn like pantyhose or any other type of footed legging and provides padded comfort to the soles of a user's feet while the device is in use. It will be appreciated by people who wear uncomfortable shoes throughout their working day in addition to leggings or pantyhose.
Most men and women have had occasion to discover that work appropriate shoes and formal footwear are uncomfortable to wear. Dress shoes often feature fashionable but oddly shaped toe regions, high heels, and little instep support. Because of these limitations, extended wear of dress footwear is often uncomfortable or even painful. Those who must wear dress shoes to work every day frequently experience discomfort throughout the day and are relegated to bringing a second pair of footwear with them to work so that they can change into more comfortable shoes.
Other people place insole padding in their shoes to cushion the bottoms of their feet. These pads present several problems. Unsecured insole cushions slide around underneath a user's feet. The insole cushions can slide into awkward positions or cause a user's feet to slide within their shoes, either of which can result in stumbling or tripping. Some insole pads are secured via adhesive to the bottom of a shoe interior and cannot be easily transferred to another pair of shoes. Thus a user must have multiple sets of insole cushions to accommodate their collection of dress shoes. An insole cushion device is needed that can be worn with multiple dress shoes and will stay in place during wear.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention is a pair of footed leggings that have built in pads on the bottom of the foot portions. The pads cover the ball and heel of a user's foot to alleviate pressure in these regions. The legging may be nylon hosiery, cotton tights, or any other type of footed legging. The device thus provides a padded cushioning for a user's feet that is integrated discretely into a pair of leggings. The prior art fails to describe padding that is integrated into a work-appropriate garment and thus does not disclose the structure of the present invention.
Canci, U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,271 discloses a stocking or sock that has pockets disposed along the sole region. Pads of various shapes, sizes and thickness are inserted into the pockets to provide different regions of a user's foot with protective cushioning. The device can be a stocking such as pantyhose or can be a pair of socks. Users select and insert the cushion pads, and then remove them as the pad becomes worn or soiled. Unlike the present invention, the Canci device does not prevent pads from sliding around under a user's foot. The pads of the present device are integrated into the stocking to reduce slippage and keep cushioning in place under a user's feet.
A comfort stocking is described in Alvera, U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,482 for providing protection to the sole of a user's foot. The stocking is made of nylon and has a reinforced slipper shaped region on the footed portion of the stocking. The reinforced region may include the use of cotton or similar threads woven into the nylon thread of the stocking. Alvera does not disclose any pads or cushioning, and instead uses a soft thicker thread on the foot portion to increase comfort to a user. While the reinforced foot region might provide increased comfort, it does not provide cushioned support to a user's feet. The present invention specifically addresses the need for sole support by integrating pads into the sole region of the foot. These pads are placed in specific locations rather than as a whole foot cover.
Other devices pertain to footwear and hosiery that have pads secured to the bottom of the feet regions. Jennings, U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,776 discloses a pair of stockings having a multi-layered pad secured to the bottom of each foot. These pads have a wicking, moisture absorbent layer that absorbs moisture from the bottom of a user's foot. A traction layer is secured to the bottom of the wicking layer to prevent a user's foot from sliding around within a shoe. The multi-layer pad is secured to the bottom of the stocking, making it easy for the pad to peel off with wear. Richardson, U.S. Pat. No. 6,275,997 teaches a sock that has a number of small gel-filled nubs secured to the bottom of the sock. The gel-filled nubs are disposed all along the bottom of the sock to cushion the user's feet from impact with the ground. The sock is intended for use by runners or athletes who are frequently on their feet. Like the Jennings device the nubs of Richardson are secured to the bottom of a user's feet and can be easily worn off or peeled away over time. The present invention integrates a cushioned pad into the stocking material to prevent the pad from being worn away.
The prior art fails to disclose a stocking or legging that has a gel-filled pad integrated into the fabric of the garment. Nor do the device disclose cushioned pads located at specific load-bearing regions of a user's foot. The present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing therapeutic hosiery devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.